Chrysanthemum plant named `Ozenda`

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named `Ozenda`, characterized by its spherical and mounded plant habit; moderate vigor and growth rate; decorative-type inflorescences with slight open center; light lavender ray florets; numerous inflorescences per plant; and good garden performance.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of gardenChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andreferred to by the cultivar name Ozenda.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe inventor in Staden, Belgium. The objective of the breeding programwas to create new garden Chrysanthemum cultivars that are freelybranching and have numerous and long-lasting inflorescences.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the inventor in 1993 ofthe nonpatented cultivar Veria Rose as the female, or seed, parent withthe nonpatented cultivar Quick Marie as the male, or pollen, parent.

The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the inventor as aflowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlledenvironment in Staden, Belgium.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken atStaden, Belgium, has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of `Ozenda`. These characteristics incombination distinguish `Ozenda` as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Spherical and mounded plant habit, moderate vigor and growth rate,and freely branching.

2. Decorative-type inflorescences with slight open center.

3. Light lavender ray florets.

4. Numerous inflorescences per plant.

5. Good garden performance.

The cultivar Ozenda has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

In side-by-side comparisons in Staden, Belgium, under commercialpractice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of thefemale parent, the cultivar Veria Rose, in plant size, foliage color andinflorescence size. In the same comparisons, plants of the newChrysanthemum differ from the male parent, the cultivar Quick Marie, inray floret color, inflorescence type and plant size.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to the cultivar Lynn(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,171). However, in side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice, plants of thenew Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Lynn in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are spherical whereas plants of thecultivar Lynn are more upright and mounding.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more freely branching than plantsof the cultivar Lynn.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger leaves but fewer leavesper lateral stem than plants of the cultivar Lynn.

4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are smaller butmore numerous than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Lynn.

5. When opening, ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum haveyellow apices and are paler in color than ray florets of plants of thecultivar Lynn.

6. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have weaker and longer peduncles thanplants of the cultivar Lynn.

A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and thecultivar Lynn appears in Chart A at the end of the specification.

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.

The first photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typicalflowering 16.5-cm container of `Ozenda` with five cuttings in thecontainer.

The second photograph comprises a close-up view of typicalinflorescences of the new Chrysanthemum.

The third photograph comprises a close-up view of five leaves atdifferent stages of development and a fully opened inflorescence.Foliage and floret colors in the photographs may appear different fromthe actual colors due to light reflectance.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Oxnard, Calif., undercommercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with nighttemperatures ranging between 14 and 20C, day temperatures rangingbetween 20 and 30C, and average light levels of 5,000 to 6,000footcandles.

After sticking unrooted cuttings of the new cultivar, plants receives 4weeks of long day/short nights followed by short day/long nights untilflowering. Measurements and numerical values represent ranges oraverages for six typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Ozenda.

Commercial classification: Garden chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.--Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Veria Rose(not patented).

Male, or pollen, parent.--Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Quick Marie(not patented).

Propagation:

Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.--10 to 12 days with soil temperatures of 20C.

Rooting habit.--Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.--Perennial herbaceous garden plant. Spherical and roundedgrowth habit. Moderate growth rate and vigor and freely branching.

Plant height.--About 18 cm.

Lateral branch length.--About 16 cm.

Quantity of lateral branches after removal of apical meristem.--About 6.

Stem color.--146C.

Foliage description.--Number of leaves per plant: About 53. Number ofleaves per lateral branch: About 11. Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Leafsize, fully expanded: Length: About 5 cm. Width: About 4.2 cm. Leafapex: Apiculate. Leaf base: Attenuate. Leaf margin: Palmately lobed.Leaf texture: Abaxial and adaxial surfaces slightly pubescent, smoothand dull. Veins prominent on abaxial surface. Petiole length: About 2.3cm. Color: Young foliage adaxial surface: 147A. Young foliage abaxialsurface: 147B. Fully expanded foliage adaxial surface: 147A. Fullyexpanded foliage abaxial surface: 147B. Venation adaxial surface: 147C.Venation abaxial surface: 147B. Petiole: 147C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.--Decorative button-type inflorescence form with slight opencenter. Inflorescences borne on terminals about foliage, arising fromleaf axils. Disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a flatcapitulum.

Flowering response.--Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn. Inflorescence initiation and development can be induced undershort day/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness).Plants exposed to 3 or 4 weeks of long day/short night conditions aftersticking followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions,flower about 49 days later. Inflorescences maintain good substance forthree weeks under bright natural daylight.

Quantity of inflorescences.--About 7 inflorescences per flowering stem.

Inflorescence size.--Diameter: About 3.4 cm. Depth (height): About 1.1cm. Diameter of disc: About 3 mm.

Opening inflorescences.--Bud shape: Spherical. Bud size: Length: About 6mm. Width: About 6 mm. Bud color: 75C.

Ray florets.--Shape: Oval. Size: Length: About 1.35 cm. Width: About 7mm. Apex: Slightly dentate. Base: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Matte,smooth and glabrous. Aspect: Flat. Number of ray florets perinflorescence: About 120. Color: When opening, adaxial surface: 75D withyellow, 13C, apex. When opening, abaxial surface: 75C. Mature, adaxialsurface: 76D. Mature, abaxial surface: 69D. Fading to: 69D.

Disc florets.--Shape: Tubular. Size: Length: About 4 mm. Width: About 1mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 12. Color: Immature:154D. Mature: 154C.

Peduncle.--Aspect: Weak, angled about 35° to 40° to the stem. Length:First peduncle: About 3.7 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 5.6 cm. Texture:Pubescent. Color: 137C.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 7A. Pollen: Moderate, 7A in color. Gynoecium: Present on both rayand disc florets. Style color: 2B.

Disease resistance: No known Chrysanthemum diseases observed to date onplants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

                  CHART A                                                         ______________________________________                                        CHARACTERISTIC `OZENDA`    `LYNN`                                             ______________________________________                                        PLANT SHAPE    Spherical,  Mounding                                                          rounded                                                        PLANT HEIGHT   About 18 cm About 21 cm                                        LATERAL STEM LENGTH                                                                          About 16 cm About 17 cm                                        QUANTITY OF LATERAL                                                                          About 6     About 3 to 4                                       BRANCHES AFTER                                                                PINCHING                                                                      QUANTITY OF LEAVES                                                                           About 11    About 16                                           PER LATERAL BRANCH                                                            LEAF LENGTH    About 5 cm  About 3.6 cm                                       LEAF WIDTH     About 4.2 cm                                                                              About 3.6 cm                                       LEAF APEX      Apiculate   Round, very slightly                                                          apiculate                                          PETIOLE LENGTH About 2.3 cm                                                                              About 1.7 cm                                       YOUNG FOLIAGE COLOR,                                                                         147A        137A                                               ADAXIAL SURFACE                                                               YOUNG FOLIAGE COLOR,                                                                         147B        137B                                               ABAXIAL SURFACE                                                               MATURE FOLIAGE 147A        137A                                               COLOR, ADAXIAL                                                                SURFACE                                                                       MATURE FOLIAGE 147B        137B                                               COLOR, ABAXIAL                                                                SURFACE                                                                       QUANTITY OF    About 7     About 4 to 5                                       INFLORESCENCES PER                                                            LATERIAL STEM                                                                 INFLORESCENCE FORM                                                                           Decorative  Decorative with slight                                            button with open center as                                                    open center inflorescence develops                             INFLORESCENCE  About 3.4 cm                                                                              About 4.2 cm                                       DIAMETER                                                                      INFLORESCENCE HEIGHT                                                                         About 1.1 cm                                                                              About 1.3 cm                                       BUD COLOR      75C         75A                                                RAY FLORET SHAPE                                                                             Oval        Obovate                                            RAY FLORET ASPECT                                                                            Flat        Edges curl upward                                  RAY FLORET LENGTH                                                                            About 1.35 cm                                                                             About 1.8 cm                                       RAY FLORET WIDTH                                                                             About 7 mm  About 6.5 mm                                       RAY FLORET COLOR                                                                             75D with yellow,                                                                          75B                                                WHEN OPENING,  13C, apex                                                      ADAXIAL                                                                       RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                            75C         75C                                                WHEN OPENING, ABAXIAL                                                         RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                            76D         75C                                                MATURE, ADAXIAL                                                               RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                            69D         75D                                                MATURE, ABAXIAL                                                               RAY FLORET COLOR                                                                             69D         75D                                                FADING TO                                                                     NUMBER OF RAY  About 120   About 190                                          FLORETS PER                                                                   INFLORESCENCE                                                                 DISC FLORET COLOR,                                                                           154D        154C                                               IMMATURE                                                                      DISC FLORET COLOR,                                                                           154C        154C                                               MATURE                                                                        PEDUNCLE STRENGTH                                                                            Weak        Strong                                             PEDUNCLE ANGLE About 35 to 40°                                                                    About 45°                                   PEDUNCLE LENGTH,                                                                             About 3.7 cm                                                                              About 2.3 cm                                       FIRST                                                                         PEDUNCLE LENGTH,                                                                             About 5.6 cm                                                                              About 4.5 cm                                       FOURTH                                                                        PEDUNCLE COLOR 137C        137D                                               ANTHER COLOR   7A          14A                                                POLLEN COLOR   7A          14A                                                ______________________________________                                    

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed `Ozenda`, as illustrated and described.